Key chain pocket flashlight



July 26, 1955 2,114,152

C. E. ACKERMAN ET AL KEY CHAIN POCKET FLASHLIGHT Filed Aug. 15, 1951 I "IIAVIIIIII Snnentor CHRISTOPHER E. ACKERMAN WILFRED E. STAGEBERG Gttorneg KEY CHAIN POCKET FLASHLIGHT Christopher E. Ackerman and Wilfred E. Sta'geberg, St. Paul, Minn., assignors to Brown & Blgelow, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application August 13,1951, Serial No. 241,589

2 Claims.. (Cl. 24010.65)

Our invention relates to an improvement in a key chain pocket flashlight and particularly to a type having a two piece casing, with which movement of a portion of the casing lights the bulb and provides a small hood over the light produced.

It is a primary object of our invention to provide a flashlight which is easily operated by one hand and has only two parts comprising the entire casing, one portion of the casing acting as a switch and light hood.

It is a further object to provide a casing for the light bulb and dry cell which is easily assembled and which requires no screws or securing members. It is an additional feature to provide a flashlight casing composed of a main body portion and a cover portion which slideably engages the body portion in a new and simple mannor, the cover portion acting also as a switch and hood for the light.

A further object resides in providing a flashlight casing made of two pieces of plastic adapted to floatlngly support a flashlight bulb which is held in place by a c011 spring which in turn bears against the metal casing of the dry cell. The circuit is closed to light the bulb by moving the dry cell toward the inner end of the bulb,

whereby the core of the dry cell contacts the center con-' tact or" the light bulb, the coil spring acting as a conductor from the metal casing of the dry cell and the outer rim contact of the light bulb. The cover slides on the casing to move the dry cell, and the plastic casing acts as an insulator to protect the dry cell and the bulb.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with g the accompanying drawings showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

in the drawings forming part of the application:

Figure l is a perspective view of our key chain pocket flashlight.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same without the key chain.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the flashlight in operative position.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of only the main body portion of the flashlight.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the sliding switch cover member removed from the main body portion of the flashlight.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 77 of Figure 5.

Our key chain pocket flashlight A is composed of the main body portion 10 which is constructed of the longitudinal side walls 11 and 12 having the bottom wall portion 13 formed as a part thereof. The forward end wall 14 is secured to the walls 11, 12 and 13 and in which is formed the aperture 15. The main body portion 10 may easily be molded of one piece plastic construction. The inner surface of the walls 11 and 12 are formed with the longitudinal grooves 16 and 17 respectively and the longitudinal supporting flanges 16' and 17'.

To complete the flashlight casing we further provide nited States Patent 0 2,714,152 Patented July 26, 1955 underside of the widened-front portion 20 rests and slides on the top edge 20 of the front end portion 14 and the side edges 21', all of which are formed as a result of the shoulders 23 and 24 formed in the side walls 12 and 11 respectively.

The top plate portion-19 is formed with the right angular depending rear-end portion 25,-the lower end 25' of which is adapted to rest on and ride on the inner surface of the bottom wall portion 13. The top plate portion 19 has formed on the edges thereof the small longitudinal shoulders 26 and 27 which engage in the grooves 16 and 17 respectively of the main body portion 10. Thelongitudinal supporting flanges 16 and 17' retain the shoulders 26 and 27 in the slots 16 and 17 so that the shoulders 26 and 27 cannot be forced down into the casing 10.

We further provide the conventional bulb-lensunit 28 which has positioned thereon the spring 29 which'holds the small cylindrical dry cell 30 in a rearward direction against the inner surface of the rear-end wall 25 when the cover plate member 18 is in position on the main body portion 10.

We further provide the undercut recess portion 27 which allows the portion 20 of the cover 18 to be bent up slightly in the assembly of the flashlight whereby the shoulders 26 and 27 may be easily engaged into the recesses 16 and 17. With the longitudinal ridges 26 and 27 in place in the grooves 16 and 17 and the shoulders 21 and 22 abutting the shoulders 23 and 24, the casing is thereby completed and the slideable cover member 18 will not come oil? over the main body portion 10, but may be pushed forward against the action of the spring 29 as particularly illustrated in Figure 3 whereby the con tact point 31 of the dry cell 30 comes into contact with the contact point 32 of the lens bulb unit 28 with the spring 29 contacting the outer casing of the 'bulb and the metal casing of the dry cell 30 thereby producing a light through the small lens 33 of the unit 28. The amount of forward movement of the slideable cover member 18 is controlled by the shoulder 29' of the bulb 28 contacting the inner edge of the aperture 15. As the slideable cover member 18 is moved into the position shown in Figure 3 the widened end portion 20 thereof extends out over the front end wall 14 thereby producing a partial hood as at 34. When pressure is released on the slideable member 18, the member 18 returns to the position shown in Figure 2 due to the action of the spring 29 and the fact that the shoulders 21 and 22 abut the shoulders 23 and 24, thereby maintaining the slideable top member 18 in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. The depending portion 25 has formed therein the recesses 25" which receive the rear-end portions of the flanges 16 and 17'.

We also provide the extension lug member 35 formed on the end member 25 through which is formed the hole 36 adapted to receive the key chain 37 on which keys may be secured. The finger engaging ribs 38 are formed on the forward portion of the slideable plate 18 to aid in moving the plate 13 forwardly into the position shown in Figure 3.

We have thus provided a simple key chain pocket flashlight, the casing of which has two parts that may be easily 1. In apockt'flashlightja bodyportionhaving'a bot 5 torri wall, side --wallsand a forward "end wall; a slideabl cover havin'g a -depending rear'end portionfonsliding" engagement with "the inner surface of said bottorrirwall;

longitudinal ribs formed on thesideedges of said cover,"

longitudinal recesses formed'on the inner surface of said "19 sidewalls in 'which saidlongitudinalribsare slidablyposi timed-{shoulders formed-on-theupper'edges ofsai'd "side" walls, shoulders formed onsaid cover for cooperation withisaid side wall shoulders to limit the backward'rnovemerit of said 'cover,* said: coverhaving' a recess' formed '15,

on" the underside-thereof whereby said' covermaybe deformed slightly toallow said longitudinal ribs to'be" placed'in'engagementyvithsaid recesses to slideably "se cure said cover to said body portion, an opening formed in'said forward-end wall, a lightbulb partially'exten'ding 20 through said opening, a battery positioned in saidbody'. portion,-and a spring interposed "betweensaid light bulb and saidbattery thereby urging said depending'rear end" portion in -a rearward'position.

tom wall,'side '-Walls; anda forward end wall, a slideable cover for said body portion forming the top 'of said body portion and having a right angular depending rear end portion forming the rear end Wall of said body portion, the lower edge of which slides on said bottom wall, right angular shoulders formed on the forward upper edges of said side walls, shoulders formed on the forward end of said slideable cover adapted to abut said side wall shoulders whenthe'flashlight is notin use, a battery positioned' against said depending rear end portion, said forward end wall having an aperture formed therein, a bulb extending into'saidaperture, a spring interposed between said battery and said bulb to urge said depending rear end portion in' a rearward position and to urge the battery out of contact with-said bulb.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED- STATES PATENTS 

